Georgia worker felt uncomfortable with Mark of the Beast sign

By Catholic Online (NEWS CONSORTIUM)
8/17/2012
Catholic Online (www.catholic.org)

Employer did not grant religious exemption for sign that read '666'

A Georgia worker is now suing his employer after he refused to wear a 666 sticker that he says represented the Mark of the Beast in Revelations. Billy E. Hyatt is suing on grounds of religious discrimination. The sticker he was asked to wear represents the number of days the plant had been accident free.

Billy E. Hyatt filed a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission which reviewed his case and has now granted him the right to sue.

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ATLANTA, GA (Catholic Online) - Hyatt worked on a production line, making packing products for Pliant Corp., now known as Berry Plastics Corp. Each day, workers at the plant are required to don a sticker showing the number of days the plant has been accident free.

Hyatt says he discussed his concerns with his supervisors and coworkers. His boss, identified as Joe Richard, did not excuse Hyatt saying instead that perhaps there would be an accident or the calendar might read 665 for two days, or some other manipulation that would spare Hyatt.

Hyatt maintains he has a sincere belief that wearing the number 666, which is the Mark of the Beast in Revelation (Revelation 13:18), would result in being condemned to hell. When the plant reached its 666th day on March 12, 2010, Hyatt asked for a religious exemption, and was denied.

According to the complaint filed in district court, the boss told Hyatt, "that he was not going to change the safety calendar, that Mr. Hyatt's religious beliefs were ridiculous, and that Mr. Hyatt could go to work with a '666' on his safety sticker or face a three day suspension." Claiming that Hyatt had "ridiculous beliefs" is particularly telling in this case.

Hyatt took the suspension, but said when he returned on March 17, he was terminated.

Hyatt filed a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission which reviewed his case and has now granted him the right to sue.

The case is expected to go to court in the next few months.

� 2012, Catholic Online. Distributed by NEWS CONSORTIUM.

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Pope Benedict XVI's Prayer Intentions for January 2013
General Intention: The Faith of Christians. That in this Year of Faith Christians may deepen their knowledge of the mystery of Christ and witness joyfully to the gift of faith in him.
Missionary Intention: Middle Eastern Christians. That the Christian communities of the Middle East, often discriminated against, may receive from the Holy Spirit the strength of fidelity and perseverance.

Keywords: Mark of the Beast, 666, Georgia, suspension, dismissal

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1 - 8 of 8 Comments

KarlVDH
9 months ago
Jerzy, you have completely missed my point.
I wear a scapular. My scapular is a piece of brown wool hangng around my neck. It isnm't the wool, but the Lady it represents that protects us.
That doesn't devalue the sacramental; it simply puts it in its correct place and context.
These things are to remind ous of God... they aren't magic talismans which protect us by their own power... tat's the God they represent that does that. And God loves you and I whether we wear our scapulars or not, and whether we pray the rosary on a beautiful string of golden beads or on our own dirty fingers.
john
9 months ago
I find it not only silly..but annoying and pointless to have to wear a sticker proclaiming how many days without accident the company has...who cares and for whose benefit does it really serve?
Larry
9 months ago
Ridiculous! I wonder if he just called in sick that day what would have happened. The boss is a jerk.
Jerzy Gawor
9 months ago
KarlVDH please do not consign Catholic Sacramentals to the scrap heap.

Once a priest or other members of the Catholic clergy bless an object, it becomes holy. The most well known holy objects Catholics use are blessed rosaries, holy water, and scapulars. Some other sacred objects used in the Catholic Church for many liturgical celebrations include holy oils, blessed palms on Palm Sunday, candles, blessed ashes on Ash Wednesday, and incense. In addition, Catholics may also use blessed objects as sacramentals for private devotions that can include pictures of saints, icons, religious medals, statues, books, relics, Bible, and Crucifix

Personally I applaud Mr Hyatt in standing up for his beliefs. So sad that so very few of us do these days for fear of being ridiculed. I would no more wear a 666 number on my clothing than drive a car with a 666 number plate - why advertise the 'man' (evil creature) for whom it stands? Call it superstition or whatever you like, but in my books it comes under the names of wisdom, counsel, prudence, fear of the Lord, you know those funny little things called Gifts of the Holy Spirit.

Counsel is especially relevant here and I quote:

'Counsel, the third gift of the Holy Spirit, is the perfection of the cardinal virtue of prudence. Prudence can be practiced by anyone, but counsel is supernatural. Through this gift of the Holy Spirit, we are able to judge how best to act almost by intuition. Because of the gift of counsel, Christians need not fear to stand up for the truths of the Faith, because the Holy Spirit will guide us in defending those truths'.
abey
10 months ago
Three days suspension & then termination, makes it to deceit, as the beast itself.
Stacy
10 months ago
Kudos to the employee for standing up for his religious beliefs. Hopes he makes a nice financial winfall. I wont even pay for an order be it at a restaurant or dept store if it rings up to that number. I will add something to my order every time.
KarlVDH
10 months ago
666 is really nothing more than the number that comes after 665. The Revelation is VERY clear that it's not the number iteslf, but the man for whom it stands that's evil. don't get distracted by things that are mere superstition; it's pointless, and you could mistake the symbol for the important thing while missing the thing it's supposed to represent.
A statue doesn't heal you; the God it points you to does. The cross around your neck doesn't do a thing for you; it's a hunk of metal. The Jesus it represents does. Your Saint Benedict medal can't protect you, it's a cin on a chain. The prayers behind it protect you. Your Brown Scapular is nothing but the symbol of your devotion to our lay... and so on. there's nothing wrong with a number... it's just a number. It's we, ourselves who make it something it's not.
gina garcia
10 months ago
I can relate because one of my previous employers made me keep a car parking sticker with that number which I will not type out if I dont have too. Of course a number is just a number but there are just some things to avoid negative advertising if you can. If you have God firmly in your heart the devil has zero power over you.

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